Drain-valve.



C. W. NEWCOMBE.

DRAIN VALVE.

APPLICATION YFILED JULY !0. l9l6.

Patented Sept. 11,' 1917.

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iCI'IAjRIIIES INEWGQMBE, OJE TZAQQMZA, W5ASHIENGTON.

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vSpE;cificatioztof Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 31d, il-91 E.

Application filed Julyfi), 1916. SerialNo. 108,522.

To'all whom z't may concern: Be it known that I, JOHARLES W Nnwconnn, -a citizen of the United (States, and resident ofTacoma, Piereecounty, State of Washington, have invented certain new I and u'setul Improvements in Drain lfal'vcs, of which the following is a specification. Myinvention relates to drainage valves ofa sort which 'is adapted to automatically act -to drain steam spaces as soon as the steam vpressure is reduced orremoved, My invention, in addition to acting as an automatic 'dra i-n Valve, also acts as a relief valve when applied 'to the cylinder of a steam engine. The object of my invention is to provide a valve for the purposes mentioned,

' scribed.

which is reliable and automatic in its action, which will' thoroughly drain itself and the steam spaces with which it 'is connected, and which may also'be used asa relief valve for thedisc'harge of excess pressure, such as may occur in the ends of'steam cylinders, whereby this excess pressureand the accumulation of water which is the usual cause for such excess pressure, may be discharged.

The peculiar features of novelty which I claim may be determined by a study-of the specification and the claims, inwhichlatter they will be particularly pointed out. tin the accompanying drawings 'I have shown my invention in "the forms of construction which are now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through one type of construction.

Fig. '2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a central, l ongitudina'*l section through'a modified-type of construction, the same being particularly adapted for app'li cation to the cylinders vof vertica'l engines."

' The present description is of the device herein shown, it being, however, *understood that this is only a typical construction and that my invention is not limited alone to the peculiar construction herein shown and de- "The casing 1 is provided with a bored chamber 10, adapted to serve as a pistonrecei-ving cylinder. In the type ofconstruction shown in Fig. 1, the casing is doubleended andis provided with two piston-receiving chambers 10, in each of which is placed a piston 4. This chamber 'is provided with a piston stop or stops, herein shown as lugs 11, which prevent the two pistons from approaching each other sufficiently to con tact. Such stop is preferablymade apart of the casing, although it might be made as a projection on the pistons.

he casingis provided with a high pressure inlet or port 12, which is adapted to receive the end of the pipefi, which is connected with some source of supply of steam rec eived"c:lirec t from the boiler, the pressure 'being therefore, constant until 'it is manua'llyshut off. This connection is placed oppos'ite to the piston stops, or in the same zone therewith, so that the steam pressure will at all times act upon 'one "side ofthe piston.

' The-ends of the casing, in the type. shown in Fig. "l, are closed by plug members '2, which therefore serve the function ,of'cyliuder heads. These are each provided with a "drainage port 26, which opens to the inner faces of the members 2 at a comparatively short distance insideof the walls of the cylinders 10. The otherends of ports20 open to the outer peripheries of the heads 2 and in such position that they register with a c lra-inage "port '14 orfl'5 "in the casing. In

the doubleended type as-s'hown "in Fig. 1, the

ports I i-and 1 5, at'opposite ends, are similar function and connect with a port 13, which leads to the common discharge opening 16,-w ith which the drainage pipe 7 is connected;

The heads or plugs 2 with passages 21, herein shown as axially placed with which pipes 3 and 30 are con nected, said pipes leading to their respective ends of the engine cylinder which is to be drained. Within this port {21 is placed a helical spring 5, which acts upon the outer face of the piston 4 to force it away from the adjacent face of the head 2, whenever the pressure acting through the pipe 6 'is sulficiently reduced, The "head 2 is provided with-a ledge against which the spring 5 acts, said ledge being herein indicated as a slight flange 22.

The piston 4 is provided with a by-pass port or ports, herein shown as grooves 40, extending para'lg'lel with the axis of the piston, and located in the outer These grooves are preferably quite shallow and not of sufficient depth to extend inward as far as the outer edge of the drainage port 2'0 in the head. At the face of the piston which is exposedto the high pressure received through pipe 6, the ends of the grooves are preferably deepenedsomewhat, as indicated' by the curved lines thereof in are also provided face thereof.

struction shown in noted, the construction the piston stop is made as a rib extending entirely about the casing."

In the type of construction shown in Fig. 1, two heads 2 andtwo pistons 4:, with their associated parts are shown. In the type of construction shown in Fig. 3, a single piston with its associated parts is employed. In this case, however, the casing 1 is pro- .vided with an integral head 18, and with a low pressure inlet port 17, with which one of the drainage pipes 3 is connected. In the double ended type of Fig. 1, the pipe 3 is the low pressure pipe extendingv to one. end of the piston and the pipe 30, a like pipe extending to the opposite end of the engine cylinder.

The head 2 employed in the type of con- Fig. 3, is provided with ports 20, of the type described, one for the discharge of the drainage water and another for the inlet of the drainage from one end of the cylinder. Except for the differences shown in Fig. 3 is like that shown in Fig. 1. There is, however, this difference in favor of the construction shown in Fig. 3. In the case of the production of excessive pressure in one end of the engine cylinder, this pressure will be transmitted through the drainage pipe connecting with this end of the cylinder .and will result in forcing the piston valve 4 off of its seat, thus opening all of the ports in the valve. In the construction shown in Fig. 1, under like conditions, only one of the piston valves would be raised from its seat. In consequence, thewater which would be the cause of producing this excessive pressure, would be blown out through the discharge ports 15 and 16 without affecting the piston valve which controls the ports leading to the other end of the cylinder.

In the construction shown in Fig. 5, the like causes would open connection between the two cylinder drainage pipes 3 and 30, thus permitting, to a certain extent, the water to be forced from one end of the cylinder through the valve to the other end of and the drainage pipes the cylinder. It would also open communication, through the by-pass ports 40 in the piston, between the high pressure supply leading to each end of the cylinderand would permitthehigh pressure steam to also be blown through the drainage pipes 3 and 30. as the case may be, into that end of the cylinder which did not have an excess pressure therein.

Such operation could not happen with the type of construction shown in Fig. 1. The

constructionof Fig. 3 is, however, somewhat high pressure,

cheaper to make and would satisfy many ersoris.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A drain valve comprising a casing having a cylinder positioned with its axis substantially horizontal, a high pressure inlet, a low pressure inlet and a discharge port axially separated from the high pressure inlet, a piston in said cylinder between the high pressure inlet and the other ports and adapted to close the low pressure inlet and the discharge ports under the action ofthe ports closed under the same conditions, and

a spring acting in opposition to the high pressure; V V V r 2. y A drain valve. comprising a casing having-a-cylinder positioned withit axis subsaid piston having by-pass stantially horizontal, a high pressure inlet,

a low pressure inlet and a discharge port axially separated from the high pressure inlet, a;piston in said cylinder between the high pressure inlet and the other ports, and adapted to close the low pressure inlet and the disharge ports underthe action of the high pressure, said piston having by-pass ports in it periphery closed by "the action of the high pressure, and a spring acting in opposition to the high pressure.

3. A drainvalve comprising a casing havi'nga cylindrical bore, a high pressure port and a discharge port extending from said bore and being axially separated toaccommodate a piston valve between them, a piston valve fitting said bore, and having by port opening at itsinner face near its lower edge and communicating'with the discharge port in the casing, the-plug having a low pressure port openingat its inner face, said ports in the plug and in the piston being closed when the piston is seated on the plug,

and a spring acting upon the piston to separate it from the plug.

4. A drain valve comprising a casing bored to form a piston receiving chamber having its axis placed horizontally, a piston closely fitting said chamber and having bypass grooves extending across its periphery from face-to face, .a head closing an end of said chamber, a -low pressure port and a discharge port in said head and inwardly of its outer margin, the opposed faces of head and pistonfformmg valve surfaces adapted .when contactedto close all of said ports, means normally acting to hold'the valve off its seat, and a highpressure connection acting to hold the valve upon its seat.

5. A. drain valve bored to form a piston receiving chamber, plston stops centrally placed in said chamcomprising a casing ber,-saidcas1ng having a high pressure sup- 13C ply connection within the zone which contains said piston stops, and discharge ports connecting with the lower side of the casing toward each end, a piston in each end of the casing and having by-pass grooves in their peripheries, a head for closing each end of the casing said heads each having a port in its lower part connecting the piston chamber with the discharge port at this end of the casing, and also having a 10W pres- 10 contact to close all their ports, and a spring for each piston acting to unseat the piston.

Signed at Seattle, WVashington, this 30th 15 day of June, 1916.

CHARLES W. NEWGOMBE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. U. 

